Right, so the title of today’s post should read “to the dogs(‘ sitters)”. Miss Kaweah is going to vacay at Camp Crazy this weekend. We decided that my working road trips are much happier and more sane for all involved if Kaweah goes to camp rather than sit in the back of the Subaru whining her brains out for hours on end. Every time I take Kaweah to Camp Crazy, I pay the bill and when I sign the receipt, I notice a line for tip. Do you tip your kennel? Considering what we pay for Camp Crazy (it’s *expensive*) I have a hard time squeezing more money out of my wallet. [Edit: I found this wallet years ago in some random department store. It was exactly what I wanted. I bought it. Since then I have had a number of girlfriends inform me - between giggles and guffaws - that I have a man's wallet. What, I asked, is a woman's wallet supposed to look like? Apparently, not like mine. Whatevs.]

espresso to batter

mini chocolate chips

Of course, I don’t want any hard feelings to be taken out on my girl. I doubt they would anyway because they love her there and she walks into the place with a “hey yo, my peeps…” Still, I figured bribery in the form of some caffeinated cookies is a sure fire plan if her sweet disposition doesn’t win them over.

everyone likes some dough

roll it out

I have made one hundred million billion of these cookies to date. Yes, check that quantity. It is totally accurate. I browse a lot of food blogs for inspiration, for ideas, but there are very few that provide recipes I want to try outright. One of those blogs is Smitten Kitchen. Yeah, I know – Deb inspires you too, eh? Fo shiz. I used to make several batches of cookies a week when I lived at sea-level. My co-workers and colleagues loved me… or maybe they just loved my cookies?! The GDC (Gross Domestic Cookies) level plummeted when I moved to our nose-bleed elevation because I wasn’t dealing well with the high-altitude baking scene. I’ve been slowly coming back to cookies because they make the best gifts to ship or hand over to a deserving individual. More than anything, I have discovered that shortbreads are pretty stable up here. Very nice.

measure the slices

slap it on a baking sheet and go

I made a double batch of these today. I make a double batch *every* time (that is how we got to the one hundred million billion) because people LOVE this cookie. Jeremy loves it. My neighbors love it. Astronomy graduate students love it. My buds around the country love it. MIL loves it. Our local ornery postal staff – they love it. Subaru service team. Love it. Surgeon, nurses, radiation techs, dude who draws my blood, oncologist… Love it. [My oncologist asked for the recipe!] Camp Crazy: they will love it. Oh yes, they will. And so will you. Go thank Deb. Everyone in Colorado and then some will be thanking her by year’s end.

Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool to tepid. Beat butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in vanilla and espresso, then reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate or chips with a sturdy rubber spatula. Using the spatula, transfer dough to a gallon-size zip-loc bag. Put bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet (okay, I didn’t poke the cookies and they’re fine). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point (I didn’t do that either – I bake one sheet at a time). The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving. Makes about 3 dozen.

216 nibbles at “to the dogs”

Those cookies look amazing….Sigh….I’m on a diet. I will have to make do with licking the screen.

As for the tip, I’m surprised they do that. I take my dogs to a posh doggie spa that is uber expensive in Nashville, complete with an a la carte menu where you can get nightly tuck in treats and special nature walks. They don’t have a line for that on the credit card receipt. I would find that sort of weird – I mean, what do you tip on a $100/night kennel? 20%? Eek!

I’m not sure I’m the best person to answer this, but a woman’s wallet doesn’t fold bills in half, and usually has a snap. And pictures of all her friends and family up to her relatives’ friends. (Er… I’m plagiarizing from Seinfeld on that last one.) A man’s wallet is more compact, and therefore folds bills in half, because it goes in the back pocket, not a purse. And is usually black or brown. :)
Okay, how can anyone not love the shortbread? It’s studded with chocolate chips all over! I’m sure they will have forgotten about the tip AND the bill after having a few of these ! ;)

I can’t believe my eyes : rolling the dough in a plastic bag … What a fantastic idea !!!!! I used to roll it between 2 sheets of parchment paper but this is THE good way to get a square dough ! Fnatsatic ! Thank you Jen :)

Thanks for this recipe, Jen. This comes just in time for the teenager that will walk through the door this afternoon on a short respite from college. Chippers are her favorite sort. I did notice that you have put the dough into a bag to roll it. Pray, tell, is this a special bag or just a large zip-type? I must try this trick. Generally, I chill my dough and use a large scoop to round them. (I have a thing for ‘uniformity’).

Got to go…must get to the photo blog. Oh, before I do though, I am in agreement: I DON’T appreciate folks tacking on a tip for a service that has already hijacked my wallet. I tend to do as you have done: Bake a treat and share. After all, sharing the ‘wealth’ is an existential element that obviously transcends the dated,’cash expected’, approach. Anyone can give money, but what about giving time, effort and art? And then, the satiated experience? Who is the real benefactor? Not withstanding, JUST LOOK AT THAT DOG! I rest my case. ;)

Go easy on yourself about leaving Missy K. I leave Missy H. when we travel to LV. Daughters condo is itsy-bitsy and my granddaughter, Miss ‘Fluffy-butt’, can’t be bothered with the chase. ;)

Chow down on a few of them thar cookies for me, will ya? I’m gonna have mine ready by 4:00.

jen – these look fantastic. are you sure they’ll def. travel well. as in maybe internationally? i have a troop in Iraq i’d like to send cookies to but apparently there are quite severe weather issues (hot, cold, desert dry etc) so i want to make sure the cookies remain intact and taste fabu. thanks for sharing this, i’ve been on the hunt for the ultimate cookie recipe.

also, a few of my friends who take their dogs to the kennel leave tip. but then again, they don’t bake awesome cookies so i think it all evens out.

love love love! And as you already know, I adore Deb too. Deb filtered through you is pretty much my nirvana in a recipe these days. :) These will be made this weekend I predict.

I do not tip our doggy daycare… I do however provide a crock pot of soup or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from time to time. I think it’s a fair trade, and frankly, the staff seems to remember me a lot more for it! K loves going to daycare, if it’s for a day or a week. He starts to cry when we turn down the street, just in case I forgot that THIS is the street where we go and get to play with OTHER DOGS! LOTS of other dogs! PLEASE mom?!?

And I carry a “man’s wallet” too, in my designer handbag, so people can suck on that! lol

Mmm, I want to be your neighbor Jen! And I love all the insights you’re giving about high-altitude baking.
I think baked goods are a totally acceptable as a tip- even better, really, because cookies inspire the warm fuzzies (like you’ve noticed). I do it all the time! However, have you noticed (I’m sure you have with your million billion baked) that after a while people almost begin to *expect* cookies flowing from your kitchen regularly? Maybe we can revive the cookie barter system:)

These are wunderfulllllllllllllllll! I have a mouth fullllllllllllllllllllllll of ‘em right now. Wunderfulllllllllllllllllllll!
I didn’t have a zipper bag, so made do with the Le C. dish. YUMMY. I tell ‘ya, these are sinful, proceed with caution. SK is on to a winner, furr shure. I had to bake mine a bit longer than the recipe said, but only cuz I was making do with the utensil at hand.

I could look at your pics all day. If you saw my eyes while I was looking at them you would swear I was swooning. You have a great eye Jenyu! That shortbread, wow. Talk about combining the two best cookies in the world (well okay there is no molasses or ginger in there) but shortbread and chocolate chip collided to make a WOW cookie.

Btw, happy belated! My 7 yr old is a Virgo too – must be why I like you so much :) Aside from your talent, wit, artistic eye, salivating recipes…? So far, there’s no commonality, except maybe the fiestyness but I can only hope she’ll develop some of your great (Virgo-esque or not) traits.

I can’t wait to try the expresso chocolate chip recipe. I love chocolate and I love coffee so this is right up my alley.
Q for you, is this pretty sweet or just mildly sweet? Wondering if I should modify the amount of sugar to adjust the sweetness. For example, I think the Nestle Tollhouse and Mrs. Field’s are too sweet for me.

I’m curious about one thing though, I’ve recently started reading your blog and I’ve noticed you made a few references to high altitude baking. I was wondering- what is it that high altitude does to baking?

GSG – I seem to encounter tip requests at just about every service these days… *sigh*

Rosa – thanks!

Mark – yeah, apparently that is the case. Mine is a man’s wallet, but I like the fact that it is compact! I think they liked the cookies… sometimes you just assume.

Marion – not my idea! It came from Deb (and I guess that idea came from Dorie!)

ClumbsyCookie – yeah, I know people who like to do that too :)

Joanne – good luck and I hope they aren’t bouncing off the walls from the espresso!

Knitopia – hee hee.

Veron – :)

Erin – thank you!

Chocolate Shavings – thanks.

Maya – ha ha, perhaps! Not my idea, but I love it too!

Margie – ooh, I don’t eat these cookies. They make me hyper and I’m not a huge fan of sweets myself (just like making them). Yes, the ziploc is a standard gallon bag. Consider the cost of leaving Kaweah at Camp Crazy, I feel as if she’s getting the royal treatment.

Bridget – they’re awesome. I think you’ll dig em.

Lan – I think they will travel well if you don’t allow for any jiggle room in the package. If they shake about they will crumble to bits (ask me how I know this – driving four wheel drive dirt roads with some cookies in the back…) Thanks for the feedback on tipping at the kennel!

Mollie – you’re a riot ;) Love K, he sounds so cute. Good thing he likes daycare. I know some pups who are frightened to death (obviously not labs…) At this point, it doesn’t matter that I carry a man’s wallet as my hair is so short I am constantly called “sir” in the fricking market.

Anita – Oh, to have you as my neighbor would be delightful. We’d just sit around talking baking all the time! And I agree, it gets to be annoying when folks expect cookies regularly. Then I just want to smack some of the ingrates in the head ;)

Amy – you’re so sweet to say!

Hillary – oh, these aren’t chocolate chip cookies, they’re espresso chocolate chip shortbread. Very different. The shaping is everything in a shortbread. Not so for a drop cookie like choc. chip. Give these a try – they will turn out lovely, I promise!

Susy – woohoo! Let’s start a man’s wallet club! mmm, pickled beets!

Margie – glad you like em!

Deb – I and the state of Colorado (whether they know it or not) LOVE YOU :) I will be trying the toffee variation once I am done shooting fall colors, traveling around the west to visit people, and get my skis tuned! xxoo

Asianmommy – thanks!

Lori – you’re very kind to say. This cookie rocks. I hope you give them a try!

Isa – actually, I omitted those steps because I don’t read recipes thoroughly and still I managed not to screw these up :) good recipe!

Susieshomemade – oooh!!!

Mikah – you’ll get it down the first time, I swear! Yes, I’ll send you an email.

Ginny – yay!

Madam Chow – my kinda gal…

Mrs. E – thanks hon!!

Cate – they are really nice :)

Graeme – you are so ridiculous! Imagine how much you’d get done if you ate a handful of these?

Steph – you’re so sweet, thank you!

Melissa – That makes FOUR of us babes who carry man wallets. We’re on to something! :) thanks!

Peabody – with a hockey stick too, I bet!

Susan – ah ha ha, I’m a Libra, hon :) But Jeremy is a Virgo and he’s GREAT! I am all for little girls who are fiesty and grab life by the hojos! This cookie is not terribly sweet, which might be why I like it more than most cookies. You will probably like it if the others are too sweet for you. Give it a try :)

[...] later. The reason I don’t feel like I had any right to mess with it is that I got it from Use Real Butter, who, in turn, got it from Smitten Kitchen, who got it from Dorie Greenspan. Is a nobody allowed to [...]

I just tried these cookies today and they are amazing! I went on a hunch and made a double batch like you did and I don’t regret it! Except I didn’t measure mine properly so they ended up being not so square, but it didn’t matter it tasted amazing! Thanks!

Am a new fan of your blog, you’ve got great photography skills and even better when taking photos of food! Just wanted to know in reading some of your older posts I came across this recipe you put up and decided to try them (since they’re going to solve the energy crisis!) It’s a pity I can’t count or measure properly. If you feel like a little chuckle, pls have a look at my latest post about your shortbread recipe. Damn these metric conversions!

I must try these cookies. Though, we’ll see how they turn out. You see, I grew up on the high plains of Wyoming. I learned to bake at about 6500 ft. Then, suddenly, I’m attending grad school at 2200 ft, and find that either I’m amazing baker whose cupcakes are amazingly light and fluffy and full of awesome. Or, I make cookies the way I have since I was little with a recipe I have memorized and they fail, because I forget I don’t need that extra flour, and they don’t have to be baked as long and all those other important details. I still have another year and a half to figure it all out.

Your pictures are beautiful; Rockies? I made these today and they are so darn good looking thanks to your method with the big zip-lock bag. They taste good too but I think next time I’ll go with regular butter or a dash of salt as I missed that element in them. Have you ever tried them with regular butter?

Wow, thanks for posting this recipe, I have a new addiction :-)
I found your post through Food Gawker and I loved the way you described the shortbread so it was pretty much a must try. The results were fantastic, this is a real adult shortbread….loved it. Thanks again for posting.

Lovely lovely shortbread! I’d just throw in one tidbit–I found the dough very soft, even after chilling over night. It may have been the butter I used, but next time I think I may try the freezer, and cooking from frozen. Any thoughts?

Question, I messed these up some how, they were really dry, like I didn’t use enough butter but I know I did. I did mess up the chocolate, I am a space cadet and forgot to mix the chocolate chunks into the batter. So i decided to just kinda put them on top. Would that have made them dry, not having them in the batter? I will try this recipe again if that is the case. Maybe I am just looking for a more traditional gooey cookie and these aren’t them. Basically should I try again?

I work at a pet grooming salon – tips are customary for service above and beyond ‘the norm’ (whatever that is), however, there is no reason to leave a tip when dropping off your dog (that can always be given when you pick up your happy pup). And, most people I work with always appreciate the food angle, just try to make sure that there aren’t any dietary restrictions (allergies, vegetarians, vegans) so all can enjoy.

AND the cookie bars look amazing! They may have to join my collection of ‘standards’ in my kitchen! Thanks!

I am super jealous of your final product picture!
Mine didn’t keep the lovely square shape that yours did, though. They circled themselves out so they were more like cookies than shortbread….possibly because I didn’t leave them in the fridge for quite two hours. I will try to resist the call of the cookie dough waiting to be eaten — I mean made — next time.

But they were SUPER yummy. Especially warm with the melty chocolate.

And they were pretty easy to make — drunk no less.

Thanks for the instructions and the pretty pictures that lead me to your blog.

i LOVE the way i could easily make these cookies–i didn’t even use a mixer! these cookies broke & cracked on me in the fridge though *sniffle sniffle* but ohh so yummy, they’re baking in the oven right now <3!

These cookies totally rocked! In the Netherlands (where I’m from), we don’t traditionally have a cookie equivalent to the shortbread texture, so a recipe is hard to come by (and then you get the tiresome conversion to metric), but THIS!!! I made a batch last week and spread some love amongst my collegues and my husband’s, and now they are crying for more.
Guess what’s in my fridge now, waiting to get chopped up… I added a little bit more sugar this time, so I can’t wait to taste the result.

I love your photography as well. And the dog stories. I’m a sucker for animals…

Hi. I made these today. Saw you on FoodGawker. I will photograph them in the morning. They are yummy, quite buttery though, I wonder if I needed more flour. It’s always difficult translating cups to metric. They spread a little but are still nice and square. Even my 8 yr old who doesn’t like coffee likes them. He had them dunked in milk for supper. Hope the coffee doesn’t keep him awake! Thanks for sharing.

I’ve had this recipe on my to bake list for weeks. I’m trying to cut down on my coffee/caffeine consumption in general, so I altered these cookies. I cut out the espresso and added about two tsp of water, a pinch of salt, and an extra 1/2 tsp of vanilla. They came out flaky and very, very sweet. I’m thinking that I added too much vanilla.

I’m definitely going to try the espresso variation in the future, especially because the cookies seem to demand that extra oompf. Thanks for sharing!

These are amazing and everyone I know simply loves them. I just make an extra strong batch of regular espresso and use that in place of the instant. This also allows for me to make decaf espresso so I can eat half the batch and not feel so jittery ;)

I “stumbled” onto your page and am just enjoying it so much! The photos are just breathtaking. Where were they made?
The shortbread cookies look amazing. The beautiful thing is I was trying to figure out what to make and send to my son and his fellow soldiers in Iraq.
I’m going to make this recipe tomorrow, then make a big batch to send to Iraq :-)
Thank you so much for sharing the recipes and the photos!

These look delicious! But a note about espresso: to make an even better taste, add the espresso to warm milk rather than water. Espresso goes bad (all bitter…it’s supposed to be sweet, caramely, and *lightly* bitter) within 10 seconds unless added to warm-hot lactose. I would suggest skim milk, as it isn’t as thick as 2%. I gotta say, these look incredible!

Has anyone ever tried these with wheat flour? I ask because I in the process of making them An discovered I was short on the flour.. So I substituted half the flour with wheat.. *crossing fingers that it works!!*

I made these today and they were extremely hard and dry (way more than short bread normally is). So I figured I must have read your recipe wrong…but once looking over it again I saw nothing off. Then I went to the orginal smitten kitten recipe and saw it…she uses TWO 8oz sticks of butter which makes a world of difference. So if anyone else had issues with their cookies, don’t give up on tour recipe just throw some more butter in the bowl!

Hellooooooo!!
I am so happy I found this recipe – I tried those cookies today and they actually ARE pretty heavenly. Although the dough was a bit too liquid (it wasn’t REALLY liquid, but, you know…), so instead of rolling them, I sort of blobbed them onto the baking sheet. Now they’re not square or anything, but they look just like ordinary cookies. Which is fine by me, because they’re delicious!!

So thank you :)

@ Natalie: I don’t know what you did wrong, but my cookies are wonderfully soft inside!

yeah well – I don’t know what I did wrong either!
I did use powdered sugar!! But I also used real espresso and I might have been a bit too generous and added a bit too much – I hate measuring stuff.
So I guess I do know what I did wrong after all… sorry for butchering your recipe :)

Hi! Your blog is fantastic and this recipe is to die for. I do a Cookie Time Tuesday every week on my blog and am always scouring the web for unique cookie recipes and Deb’s site is one of my favs to go to but I actually found this recipe from you before hitting her site (Thanks to Pinterest). I did add in Toffee Chips to mine and it really brought out the coffee flavoring. So delicious. I for sure have these cookies added to the “Gift” list because I am sure most people would really enjoy getting a box of these little slices of heaven.

Thank you for sharing! I hope you will have a chance to stop by and check out Cookie Time Tuesday…www.itsybitsypaperblog.com

[...] think it is safe to say that the chocolate chip cookie is the king. Well, I found a chocolate chip SHORTBREAD cookie recipe that sounds divine. I’ve never tried making shortbread, so I’m looking [...]

So…after stumbling upon this recipe a year ago, I finally made the cookies. They looked gorgeous, but I have to say…they were SO dry. I brought them to work with me and told everyone that they were definitely dipping cookies. A few gals had them with cappucinos and the rest, just an old fashioned milk and cookie combo. They are just perfect that way. I even made ice cream sandwiches with several of them. I think I may tweat this recipe with eggs and oil next time…I realize that they won’t be shortbread any longer, but for me the flavor was perfect while the texture…not for me. Still happy I tried them:)

Laura – you may want to reduce the amount of flour you’re using? Shortbread cookies ARE dry, but they shouldn’t be that dry. Keep in mind that 2 cups are not the same the world over – flour density will determine if you are using more or less flour than I do, so I’d try scooping the flour, then shaking it back into the flour container and doing that a couple of times before scooping your flour to measure for the recipe.

I love shortbread but (sorry!) I don’t like the taste of coffee at all! Plus I don’t want my kids to eat anything caffinated! What changes would I need to make to substitute out the espresso? Add liquid ? What would I add?

I found this recipe awhile back and planned to make it, but I misplaced it and only found it this past weekend. It was perfect timing because I had an office party to go to. This was so yummy! Gosh, I didn’t realize how much the espresso would add to the recipe but OMG, it made it taste bitter and sweet all at the time time. I was so proud taking these my office party – this recipe made me look really good! Try this please, you will not regret it!

[...] come to love the surprises StumbleUpon has given me, and one was a link to Use Real Butter’s website and to the recipe Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread. Use Real Butter got the recipe from [...]

I messed it up!
I soooo craved for these cookies, and something went wrong :(
I am Dutch so I think I might have made a mistake during the translation :p
I think I used everything right… but they melted!! :s
Maybe I used the wrong butter?

ROFL! I know! I figured out just after I posted it on here :p
Stupid! So… I’m not really a kitchenqueen! Hahaha
Anyway… i’ll definitely try them again! Cause it smelled pretty good!! :)
I’m sure they will taste just as great!

[...] to bake things involving red and green for Christmas? If so, tough. I did. For these I modified this recipe from the helpfully-titled Use Real Butter. I ditched the coffee and chocolate and added some lemon [...]

Oh, btw: does altitude (or lack thereof…) REALLY make a difference when you’re baking??!? I live by the sea. At slightly elevated sea-level. Eeeeeeek. Chemistry never was my strong point. Nor was geography. Bummer.

[...] pictures of indecently delicious-looking yummy stuff is just too much for a girl to resist. Adding this site too for hysterically quirky writing – totally LOVIN it Oh, and Foodgawker is where I [...]

Mrs Wibbs – it depends on what you’re baking. Sometimes altitude has no effect, and sometimes it can be disastrous. It’s more an issue of physics than chemistry, but if you’re below 3000 ft. I wouldn’t even worry :)

hey, are we following the instructions on the instant espresso? i’ve technically never had instant espresso, so i’m not really sure how it works. how much liquid are we suppose to have after mixing the tablespoonful of the instant powder?

kristen – the second ingredient listed is “1 tbsp boiling water”, so that is how much boiling water you should use. how much you boil, is entirely up to you. good luck!

sara – yes. i don’t think you can substitute regular espresso since the instant espresso creates a concentrated liquid. you can find these in stores like whole foods, gourmet shops, even some regular grocers may carry instant espresso. i hope you find some!

These look very similar to a refrigerator shortbread cookie that my mom used to make (sans the espresso powder and confectioners sugar). I make a batch every Christmas, and they’re very handy to have in the freezer for slicing off a bit at a time. :-)

Leslie – you could try using vanilla extract (but probably 1 tsp or 2 at most is enough). That said, I don’t drink coffee or espresso either and neither do some of my friends, but we all love these cookies. So perhaps one day you might want to try the recipe as is. It’s quite lovely.

I can’t wait to leave a comment. My batch is in the refrigerator right now waiting to be cut and baked.
This is terribly easy; even for someone who has little baking skills.
They are going to be ‘oh so good’ with the coffee heath bar ice cream I just made!!

My batter is sitting in the fridge now. Waiting the long two hours before I can bake them (and taste them!) The recipe was really easy to follow and I had a great time making them. Thanks so much for posting this!

I just tried these because they looked so good and it turned out a dismal failure :(… I’ve done a fair amount of baking before but I’ve never done shortbread so I’m not sure where I went wrong. All I know is that by the time I mixed in the flour the dough was completely crumbly, and after I got it out of the freezer it was cracking and crumbling as I tried to cut it. Does this mean I didn’t add enough butter??

Eeesh in Canada (well at least in Quebec) they don’t sell butter in sticks, only in bricks, but I dare say I should be able to make the conversion to grams. Does 1 cup of butter for ever 2 cups of flour sound about right?

I found this via Pinterest and made these for a dinner party last night. I do a lot of baking, but I truly believe these are fool-proof. I had less than two hours to get them made before the party, so there was no way I could let the rolled dough chill for 2 hours. I rolled it out in the bag (didn’t have such great luck with that) and stuck the entire thing in the freezer for 30 min. or so. Of course, when I took it out and cut away the bag, I managed to drop the rolled dough on my counter and it broke into pieces. I pulled out some parchment paper and pieced it back together. I let it warm a bit and then rolled it between two pieces of parchment. It rolled back together relatively easily and I was able to cut it into squares and get them baked and cooled just in time for the party. It looked and tasted great and was a hit. Can’t imagine it could be much better, but I’m excited to try it again when I’ve really got the time to do it right. Thanks for sharing!

Anna – The reason for the instant powder is because it is more concentrated than regular espresso brewed from a machine (1 tbsp of instant espresso powder in 1 tbsp of water is quite strong). So no, it would not be the same using regular espresso.

I also wanted to say that I work at a dog daycare/boarding facility and while I’m not 100% on whether there is a tip added on to a boarding stay or if its optional(I’m pretty sure it’s not though at our kennel) EVERYONE who works there absolutely loves it when people bring goodies in with thier dogs. And although I can’t say this for everyone and for every place, but I don’t think anyone would take less care of your dog just for not tipping, I know everyone I work with loves dogs and it makes them happy to make the dogs happy. They know alot of dogs are sad to have to stay overnight in a strange place, while others are all for it, so we try our best to make things fun, safe, and comfortable. It’s great when you find a place that you trust and your dog seems to enjoy because you don’t have to worry about your pup during a trip or vacation! Thanks so much for posting the recipe!

If I made a double brew of real espresso in a single tablespoon made from fresh ground espresso beans (double is intensely concentrated, honestly, can’t even smell the stuff without zinging) do you think that might work? It just has such an authentic taste compared to the instant stuff. (true coffee lover)

These are/were DELICIOUS!!!! Saving my next cookie to savor with a nice cup of coffee after dinner :) I think next time, I may add some chopped macadamia nuts to send them over the top.
These would make darling gifts, packaged up with 1 lb. of roasted coffee, to give to people during the holidays.

These were outstanding! You’ve created a monster! I made them last night and being the coffee/chocoholic that I am, don’t have many left today.

I didn’t have instant espresso, so I used twice the instant coffee with 1 1/2 tbsp of boiling water. They came out really well. However, I agree with Amanda in the use of real coffee (not instant). From what she said, it sounds like it would work quite well. : ) I can’t wait to make another batch already!

I just made my first batch of these wonderful looking cookies, however I’ve never made shortbread before. So my question: “Is the batter supposed to taste good?” Cause mine did not, however I’m hoping they will taste different after baking.

I’ve been to three grocery stores to find instant espresso powder and so far, no dice. I can buy it online, but imagine my disappointment at not being able to make these for DAYS now due to this dilemma. Where do you find your jar?

[...] vanilla, flour, and mini chocolate chips. Mix it all together, and roll out the dough. I took Use Real Butter’s tip and used a freezer bag to roll it out, albeit not as neatly as she did. The I put the dough [...]

I made this recipe last night. It came out very good. I wasnt sure how I felt about it when it first came out of the oven but once it cooled/hardened over night and I had it with some tea today… I really enjoyed them. I would make two changes next time… I used 60% cocoa ghiardelli chocolate— it was a bit TOO bitter…next time I would use semisweet. Also the cookies need salt… I will add about a/14 tsp next time. Ithink with these changes next time they will turn out even better. Good recipe! I will be making a blog post soon!

Sometimes you just KNOW when recipe will be fantastic. This is one of those times! I am apt to pat the dough into a greased foil lined pan and cut them before they are baked-then break them apart on the ‘perforations’ while they are still warm.

I have these in the oven right now and ohhhhh my goodness, it smells amazing in here! Like someone took me to a roasty coffee shop and told me to sit and wait for a fresh baked cookie. :) How genius is rolling these things out IN THE BAG, people??? Just tasted my first one: AWESOME. I used salted butter and am glad I did. :) Great recipe, thank you!

found your link via Foodgawker and here’s a reader in Sweden who has found many conversion tables. It it terribly confusing. Would you be kind to add in some metric measurements too? I mean you do realize with foodgawker you attract readers globally :)

Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve made it several times, and everyone loves it. I am a super lazy bum, so I prepare this dough as a slice-and-bake. I form it into a square log, refrigerate, and slice. So easy, and so delicious.

[…] don’t really add coffee to my favourite chocolate chip cookies though. But when I came across this recipe at the Use Real Butter blog, the gorgeous pictures stayed in my mind… until I finally made them a couple of days ago. […]